Thill-coupling



(No Model.) T. OLIVER.

THILL COUPLING. No. 499,393. PatentedJun' 13, 1893.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS OLIVER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,393, dated June 13,1893.

Application filed December 12, 1892. Serial No. 454,868. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS OLIVER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New J orsoy,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Oouplings;and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are to facilitate the attachment andremovalof thills and poles to and from vehicles, to prevent rattling,and to secure other advantages hereinafter referred to.

The invention consists in the improved thill coupling and in thearrangement and combination of the parts thereof, as herein set forthand finally pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several viewswhere they occur, Figure 1, represents, in elevation, a thill-couplingembodying my improvement, and Fig. 2, represents a top plan View of thesame. Fig. 3, represents a modification.

In said drawings, a, designates an ordinary iron or steel axle, such asis used on buggies.

b, designates the bed-piece, c, a clip, d, the clip-bar and e, the nutsby which the parts are held in place. A

A, designates the jaws of the coupling, which have an opening, f, at theupper side the front wall of which is inclined from the front to therear to permit the journals, g, of the thill-irons h to be slipped intotheir bearings or seats, as indicated in the drawings.

B,-designates a flat plate of tempered steel one end of which is securedbetween the clipbar and nut, the other end or portion being bent andformed intoa spring which passes upward between the jaws and engageswith the rear end of the thill-iron, the normal tendency of which is topress and firmly hold the journals g, in engagement with their bearingsand eifectually prevent any rattling, as will be understood. As shown inthe drawings, the free end of the spring projects above and forward ofthe rear wall of the openingin the coupling and also above the lower endof the front wall so that when the thill is in place, the end of thespring will be at a point above the journals g which will therebyprevent them from being raised out of the opening, even though they areforced backward in the coupling until they are in line with the opening.

The rounded ends of the thill-irons,instead of being secured to the jawsA, by means of bolts and nuts, as is frequently the case, are providedwith the journals, g, preferably formed integrally or solidly thereon,as indicated, thereby avoiding all danger of the thills or polesbecoming accidentally detached by the loss or displacementof said bolts.

The thills or poles may be readily detached and replaced by simplypressing the spring backward and slipping the journaled portions out orin position, as will be understood.

The modification shown in Fig. 3, with an elongated bearing may bepreferable for thills or poles with straight ends or ironsinst'ead ofthe upwardly-curved irons shown in Fig. 1, as the thills would not belikely to slip from the bearings in the event of backing.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patcut, is-

In a thill coupling, the combination, with the clip and its bar and thecoupling jaws A, each of said jaws having an elongated bearing and anopening thereinto, the front wall of which opening is inclined from thefront to the rear, and a thill iron h having journals g on the end andadapted to be passed through the openings into the bearings of the jaws,and a spring secured to the clip and bar at one end and having its frontend extended above and forward of the rear wall of the openings in thejaws and adapted to bear downwardly and forwardly upon the end of thethill iron, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this3d day of December, 1892.

THOMAS OLIVER.

Witnesses:

OSCAR A. MICHEL, CHARLES H. PELL.

